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From South Africa to US, ‘Cicada’ COVID-19 variant spreading

According to the latest available data from the health authorities, this variant has been spotted in 23 countries and in wastewater from 25 US states.

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• New Cicada COVID variant detected across US states.

“Cicada” a nickname given to BA.3.2, a COVID-19 variant, is spreading around the world , according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Like most other variants, the symptoms of the Cicada variant are the same as those of other COVID-19 variant infections.

According to the CDC, these includes:

Runny or stuffy nose, Fever, Headache, Fatigue, Sneezing, Sore throat,Cough, Muscle pain or body aches Vomiting, Diarrhea, and Changes to the sense of smell or taste.

According to the latest available data from the health authorities, this variant has been spotted in 23 countries and in wastewater from 25 US states.

In November 2024, BA.3.2 popped up in a nose swab of a 5-year-old boy in South Africa, and it looked very different than its parent virus.

It was first picked up in the US last summer, in a traveler from the Netherlands.

In January , the first clinical sample from a sick patient turned out to be BA.3.2.

It appears to be circulating in the US at low levels, although testing has been scaled back since the height of the pandemic, so it may be more widespread than currently known.

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BREAKING: NCDC Flags 2 New Suspected Ebola Cases in North-East

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported two new suspected cases of Ebola virus disease in the country’s North-East region.

In an update released on Saturday, October 31, 2026, the agency said the two individuals have been isolated. Contact identification and listing are ongoing, and laboratory testing is underway to confirm or rule out the infection.

“Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results,” the NCDC stated. The agency advised the public to maintain good hand hygiene, practise enhanced sanitation, and follow guidance from public health authorities. Further updates will be provided as verified information becomes available.

The development comes after Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20. That case involved a 42-year-old woman who had travelled from Uganda to Abuja and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. She was later medically evacuated to Switzerland along with her husband.

Health authorities continue to monitor contacts linked to the earlier confirmed case while strengthening surveillance nationwide.

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Nigeria’s First Imported Ebola Patient Moved to Switzerland

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Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, confirmed on Monday that the country’s first imported Ebola patient has been evacuated from Abuja to Switzerland.

In a statement posted on X, Pate said the patient was clinically improving, stable and conscious but remained potentially infectious, necessitating strict safety protocols throughout the evacuation process.

The patient travelled with her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic. The minister commended healthcare workers for their efforts in managing the case.

Pate assured Nigerians that public health measures remain in place to contain the virus and urged citizens to stay vigilant while relying only on credible information.

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Ebola: Nigeria Sends Back Swiss Woman Via Medivac Plane

The patient who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria was flown out of Nigeria this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.

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A Swiss woman diagnosed with Ebola virus in Nigeria is set to be evacuated from the country early this morning through an air ambulance at the private jet wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Ohibaba News learned the patient who is the wife of a Swiss diplomat in Nigeria was flown out of Nigeria this morning through a medivac plane which was already at the airport waiting to evacuate her.

Our Reporter deployed to the General Aviation Terminal later obtained pictures of the arrival of a convoy of vehicular ambulance from Abuja city centre with diplomatic vehicles in the entourage.

The three vehicle convoy had an international Agency vehicle entering the Private Jet section of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.

Airport officials cordoned off the private wing of the airport but news men eventually obtained videos of a medivac plane with crews eventually evacuating the sick passenger suspected to be the Ebola index case due to the special nature of the medical evacuation.

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